Paper cup holder and carrier



Sept. 12, 1967 R. M. CARSON PAPER CUP HOLDER AND CARRIER Filed arch so, 1965 Raymond M Carson INVENTOR. 401221;.

and

United States Fatent C) 3,341,242 PAPER CUP HOLDER AND CARRIER Raymond M. Carson, Box 101, Faxon, Okla. 73540 Filed Mar. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 443,924 Claims. (Cl. 294-16) The present invention relates to a simple, practical and easy-to-use device which enables a user thereof to expenditiously and reliably handle and carry a plurality of drinking cups such as, for example, a parafiin-coated and equivalent soft drink cups, and using but one hand if so desired.

While the invention is such that it may be used in many and varying ways it is functionally designed and structurally adapted for use primarily, but not necessarily, when one is in attendance at a baseball game, basketball game or similar indoors or outdoors sports event where soft drinks are generally purchased at a place of sale and are carried, often by one person, to a number of other persons in attendance but remote from the place of sale. As is generally well known the one who is called upon to purchase, carry and otherwise handle several or more liquid-filled cups can and often does encounter difficulties and embarrassment. In fact, it is difiicult to carry more than one cup in each hand without spilling, crushing or otherwise mishandling the cup. It follows that a significant "objective in the instant matter is to provide a simple manually usable mechanical device which will enable one to hand-carry two to four and even more cups using only one hand and leaving the other hand free to carry, if desired, sandwiches, popcorn and so on.

Briefly, in carrying out the principles of the present invention two or more pivotally mounted spring-loaded clips are embodied in a single structural device, the construction and arrangement being such that a minimum of two common beaded cups can be coupled or grouped side by side, held in a systematic manner and then suspended and carried by one hand in the manner above suggested.

More explicitly, the invention has to do with a flexible cup-suspending and carrying element which is connected at an upper end to a finger ring or equivalent means and which is provided at its lower end with readily attachable and detachable cup-holding means, said means embodying at least one spring-loaded or spring biased lever-like clip which is mounted and arranged to be releasably connected with the usual beaded lip at the mouth portion of each cup which is to be carried and handled.

Experience has shown that under ordinary circumstances the user should experience little or no spillage since the cups (two or more in a group) are suspended from the top rim or bead, are clustered and hang down and can swing in a manner which lets the force of gravity hold or tend to hold the liquid in the cups. The fact is this unique multipurpose cup carrier works best-when the cups are filled or substantially filled with liquid than would be the situation where the cups empty.

Stated somewhat more explicitly, the hand-carried means comprises a ring such as is used on and in connection with certain marketed type key rings, said ring being provided with a pivotally attached flexible element (chain or the like) which is pivotally joined at its lower end to the novel cup assembling, gripping and carrying means. The means preferred is characterized by a hublike body member, a pair of lever-like latches or clips which are spring-biased and hinged on the hub-like member and which have jaws which engage the adjacent cups, 2. portion of the hub-like member being interposed between the cups and providing anvil-like abutment sur faces for the clipped cups.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter -de scribed and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing two liquid filled soft drink or equivalent so-called paper cups and showing, more particularly, the spring-loaded latch-like clip cup holding means, finger ring and suspension element in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view on an enlarged scale with parts in section and elevation and detailing the two lever-like latches or clips which are spring-biased and mounted on the intervening hub-like member; and

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on the plane of the verti cal section line 33 of FIG. 2.

The invention disclosed is characterized, generally speaking, by a dual or double-type so-called alligator-type clip construction which is designed and adapted to hold two cups together for simultaneous lifting and carrying. To carry three or four cups it is necessary to add another clip. In fact, experience has shown that six can be carried with three clips connected to the same ring by the one suspension element. It will simplify the presentation of the invention to think primarily of the two soft drink cups A and B shown in FIG. 1. These are conventional and are shown as filled with liquid, the mouth portion C of each cup having an outstanding marginal rim or bead D which comes into use in the manner shown particularly in phantom lines in FIG. 2.

The elongated flexible element, which may be a chain or equivalent device, is denoted by the numeral 6 and has a head 3 at its upper end carrying a ring-like link 10 which is joined by way of a connector 12 to a catch 14 pivoted on the bottom of the C-shaped finger ring 16. This type of a ring has a keeper 18 for the catch, the catch in turn being provided with a clip-type fastener or retainer 20. It follows that the key ring is old and well known and any suitable fingergrip or ring can be used. The clip means for attachment to and handling of the side-by-side cups A and B is shown in detail and on an enlarged scale in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The aforementioned hub-like body member is denoted as an entity by the numeral 22 and can be of one piece solid form or fashioned from sheet material bent upon itself between its ends in the manner suggested in FIG. 3. The upper body portion 24 is triangulate in cross-section and the lower end portion 26 of the flexible hanger or suspension element 6 is pivotally connected thereto at 28. This member is provided at the center of its bottom with an inverted generally T-shaped member which comprises a substantially rectangular block-like head 30 and a stem or shank 32. The marginal vertical edge portions of the block-like head constitute anvil-like abutments 34 and 36 for the left and right duplicated lever-type latches or clips 38 and 40, respectively. Each latch or lever is the same in construction and a description of one will suflice for both. To this end it will be noted that the median portion of the latch or lever is provided with outstanding segmental flanges 42 which straddle and are pivotally mounted on a corner portion 44 of the upper body portion 24. A spring has portions thereof coiled around the pivot or hinging pins as at 46 with the spring acting on the levers in a manner to urge the jaw portions resiliently against the clamping surfaces 34 and 36. The jaws are here denoted at 48 and are provided with suitable anti-slipping teeth which assist in gripping the wax coated surface of the mouth portions of the cups in the manner shown in FIG. 1. The upper end portions of the levers or clips are fashioned into marginally flanged fingerg-rips which flare outwardly, the one at the left being denoted by the numeral 50 and the one at the right in FIG. 2 by the numeral 52. With this arrangement the spring means normally closes the jaws and positions and holds the beads of the cups on the ledge-like shoulders defined by outwardly opening notches or recesses 56 formed in the body number 22 in the manner shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2. To operate the cup carrier, the cups are filled with ice and a suitable soft drink at the fountain or stand and then set on the counter and are picked up. In other words the head-like spacer 36 is now interposed between adjacent parts of the two cups A and B and the surfaces 34 and 36 permit the wall portions of the cups to be clamped thereagainst by the action of the spring-loaded clips. It follows that one moves the cups in pairs one-half to one inch apart and the clip carrier is applied and the ring is picked up and the clips are suspended and carried along in a seemingly obvious manner. The invention is quite simple in that it simply requires lifting the key ring or carrier at the end of the clip-equipped chain and carrying with virtually no trouble and with a minimal likelihood of spillage. To release all that is necessary is to simply press the fingergrips and loosen the latches and the cups are free for handling and use.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described,

and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. Holding and carrying means for a plurality of cups such as are currently being used as containers for soft drinks and the like, said means comprising a flexible element, a fingergripping and handling ring pivotally attached to an upper end of said element, and spring-biased clip means pivotally mounted on a lower end of said flexible element, said clip means comprising a pair of opposed coplanar clips having finger-pieces and serrated jaws, said jaws having the capability of adequately and suitably clasping said cups, a clip-assembling and mounting body provided at an upper end with a body portion on which said clips are spring-biased and pivotally mounted, and an inverted T-shaped part carried by and depending from said body portion and embodying a crosshead joined to said body portion by a shank and defining and providing ledge-like shoulders to adaptably seat and support oriented segmental portions of the beads on said cups.

2. In a device of the class described, grouping and holding means for a pair of beaded cups comprising: a hublike member embodying a substantially triangulate body portion, and a complemental inverted T-shaped component part including a shank joined to and depending from a central part of the base of said body portion and a generally rectangular head joined to and depending from said shank and coordinating therewith in defining a pair of coplanar ledge-like shoulders, the latter spaced in parallelism below said base, said shoulders being adapted to accommodatingly support portions of the usual beads on said cups, a pair of opposed levers having parallel flanges straddling and hingedly mounted on lower corner portions of said base, said levers having fingergrips at their upper ends and toothed jaws at lower ends spring-biased against coacting marginal surfaces of the intervening head, said levers providing spring-loaded cup-holding clips and bridging the respectively cooperable shoulders, and means carried by said hub-like member for suspending and carrying the same by hand.

3. The structure defined in claim 2, and wherein said last-mentioned means comprises an elongated flexible element having a lower end hingedly linked to an upper apical end of said triangulate body portion, and a keyring-type ring linked to an upper end of said flexible element.

4. Cup carrying means for carrying a cup of the type including an outwardly directed rim at its open upper end, said carrying means comprising a body member defining upstanding outwardly facing abutment surface means on one side thereof terminating upwardly in inwardly directed generally horizontal and upwardly facing supporting surface means, said body being adapted to have the outer surface of the upper portion of the side wall portion of said cup abutted thereagainst with the corresponding rim portion of said cup overlying and resting upon said supporting surface means, an upstanding elongated lever member pivotally secured, intermediate its opposite ends, to said body member for rotation about a generally horizontal axis disposed above said supporting surface means, extending transversely of said lever member and disposed in a plane normal to the direction in which said abutment surface means face, the lower end of said lever extending below and disposed outwardly of said abutment surface means, and means operatively connected between said body member and said lever member biasing said lower end of said lever member toward abutting engagement with the opposing portions of said abutment surface means so as to be adapted for engagement with the inner surface portions of said upper portion of said side wall portion of said cup and thereby clamp said side wall portion between said abutment surface means adjacent said supporting surface means and said lower end portion of said lever and retain said rim in position disposed over and resting upon said supporting surface means.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said abutment surface means defines abutment surface portions disposed generally in the same upstanding plane and spaced vertically in said plane an appreciable distance below said supporting surface means.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein said body member is defined by a pair of upstanding generally parallel panel-like members including spaced upstanding and generally parallel side edge portions defining said abutment surface means.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said supporting surface means are defined by notches formed in said edge portions of said panel-like members opening outwardly of said parallel edge portions.

8. The combination of claim 4 wherein said lower end of said lever member includes surface portions spaced longitudinally thereof disposed in a plane generally paralleling the first-mentioned plane and adapted to abut said inner surface portions of said cup throughout at least some appreciable vertical extent thereof.

9. Cup carrying means for carrying a cup of the type including an outwardly directed rim at its open upper end, said carrying means comprising a body member defining upstanding outwardly facing abutment surface means on one Side thereof terminating upwardly in inwardly directed generally horizontal and upwardly facing supporting surface means, said body being adapted to have the outer surface of the upper portion of the side wall portion of said cup abutted thereagainst with the corresponding rim portion of said cup overlying and resting upon said supporting surface means, an upstanding elongated lever member pivotally secured, intermediate its opposite ends, to said body member for rotation about a generally horizontal axis disposed above said supporting surface means, extending transversely of said lever member and disposed in a plane normal to the direction in which said abutment surface means face, the lower end of said lever extending below and disposed outwardly of the upper end of said abutment surface means, and means operatively connected between said body member and said lever member biasing said lower end of said lever member toward abutting engagement with the opposing portions of said abutment surface means so as to be adapted for engagement with the inner surface portions of said upper portion of said side wall portion of said cup and thereby clamp said side wall portion between said abutment surface means adjacent said supporting surface means and said lower end portion of said lever and retain said rim in position disposed over and resting upon said supporting surface means, said body member also defining second upstanding outwardly facing abutment surface means on the side thereof remote from said one side and including second upwardly facing supporting surface means generally horizontally aligned with the first-mentioned supporting surface means and disposed at the upper end of said second abutment surface means, and a second lever member corresponding and similar to the first-mentioned lever member pivotally supported from said body for similar coaction with the second abutment surface means and second supporting surface means. 10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the first and second abutment surface means are disposed in slightly downwardly divergent generally parallel planes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Schauer 294-31 Watkins 2943 .Murlless 2481 X Seppmann 294-3 Baron 294-31 Hennes 24-81 Hoffman 224-45.4 Schneck 24-81 X Craft 22446 X 15 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

G. F. ABRAHAM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. HOLDING AND CARRYING MEANS FOR A PLURALITY OF CUPS SUCH AS ARE CURRENTLY BEING USED AS CONTAINERS FOR SOFT DRINKS AND THE LIKE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE ELEMENT, A FINGERGRIPPING AND HANDLING RING PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO AN UPPER END OF SAID ELEMENT, AND SPRING-BIASED CLIP MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON A LOWER END OF SAID OPPOSED BLE ELEMENT, SAID CLIP MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED COPLANAR CLIPS HAVING FINGER-PIECES AND SERRATED JAWS, SAID JAWS HAVING THE CAPABILITY OF ADEQUATELY AND SUITABLY CLASPING SAID CUPS, A CLIP-ASSEMBLING AND MOUNTING BODY PROVIDED AT AN UPPER END WITH A BODY PORTION ON WHICH SAID CLIPS ARE SPRING-BIASED AND PIVOTALLY MOUNTED, AND AN INVERTED T-SHAPED PART CARRIED BY AND DEPENDING FROM SAID BODY PORTION AND EMBODYING A CROSSHEAD JOINED TO SAID BODY PORTION BY A SHANK AND DEFINING AND PROVIDING LEDGE-LIKE SHOULDERS TO ADAPTABLY SEAT AND SUPPORT ORIENTED SEGMENTAL PORTIONS OF THE BEADS ON SAID CUPS. 